“Hi-Tek is My Favorite Producer…”

— October 9th, 2006 —

Hi-Tek is bringing that boom-bap, New York State of Mind-rap back into the mix. His creative and soul-stirring beats have found a home on Hip-Hop sites from XXLMag.com to AllHipHop.com. The beat maven, who is Dr. Dre’s right arm, is ready to come back on the scene with Hi-Teknology 2… and I cannot wait.

Keep It Movin’ with Q-Tip and Kurupt is a lovely concoction of funk mixed in with an R&B-esque taste. The song finds Tip and Young Gotti’s verses volleying off the syncopated hand claps and harmonious singing in the background. There is a swaying crescendo that keeps the listener in-tune with the flow of the song. Personally, this is one of my favorite — not just because of who’s all on the track — but because of the hooks symbolism:

Got to go that way — Keep it movin’…‘Cause you ain’t tryna get paid — Keep it movin’…Steppin’ out on faith, ready for whatever…It’s written so can’t worry ’bout what’s next, cause… you’ll never know…

The single that is currently getting mad airplay is the New York staple, Where It All Started At. The song features some monstrous verses from Jadakiss and Talib Kweli and has appearances from Papoose and Raekwon. The song is very nostalgic. Hell, it brings me back to ’93-’94 Hip-Hop. Tek’s sampling is key to bridging the appreciation for the city that started this Hip-Hop shit and creating anticipation for the rappers who give thanks to this.

The key to this album is its organic sound. The production is crisp and the head-nod factor alone has me praying to the Hip-Hop gods that a certain Brooklyn MC will get back into the lab and churn out another classic…